Door hold-open device



July 4, 1961 w. POLLAK DOOR HOLD-OPEN DEVICE Filed Sept. 11, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M U m m m Wo/ m A 6 EFi W WE: t: M p "7 (I l /ll/l/ /L w H/ w y 9 KW 2 K y United States Patent 2,990,569 DOOR HOLD-OPEN DEVICE Walter Pollalr, Detroit, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 11, 1959, Ser. No. 839,435 4 Claims. (Cl. 16146) The present invention relates to an improved type of door hold-open device in which a door hold-open lever is pivotally mounted on the door and continuously biased into engagement with a hold-open member mounted on the door supporting structure such that a notch in the lever will engage with said pin to hold the door in a fully open position until sufiicient door closing pressure is exerted to earn the lever out of its engagement with the pin.

Since this general type of door hold-open mechanism is old the subject invention is more particularly concerned with a unique and simplified construction of the door hold-open mechanism in which the door mounted hold-open lever is at all times disposed substantially within a cavity formed by the door. The door hold-open lever construction is such that very little movement of the lever takes place relative to the door when the latter moves between open and closed position thereby requiring little modification of the supporting and coaoting members to accommodate the lever.

The details as well as other objects and advantages of r the present invention will be apparent from a perusal of the description which follows.

In the drawings? FIGURE 1 is a plan sectioned view through a vehicle body utilizing the subject invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view along line 3-3 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a plan section, like FIGURE 1, showing the door in its held-open position.

A vehicle body is indicated generally at and includes an outer panel 12 to which an inwardly extending end wall 14 is secured. Wall 14 partially defines a door opening 16. A door mounting pillar 18 is secured to vehicle body 10 and in general is adapted to support the hinge structure for a door 20. Door 20 includes an outer panel 22 and an end wall 24 fixedly secured thereto.

End wall 24 of door 20 is recessed providing a longitudinally extending edge 32 comprised of walls 22 and 24 which terminates proximate an edge 34 formed on body 10 such that a hinge cavity 30* provided for concealing the hinge structure. A generally L-shaped male hinge member is provided at 26 and is suitably secured to pillar 18. Male hinge strap 26 includes a leg 28 which extends transversely of door 20 and within cavity 30.

A female hinge strap 36 is mounted upon end wall 24..

of door 20 and is generally of right angular construction so as to nest within the recessed portion 30 of the door end wall. Female hinge strap 36 includes a pin member 38 fixed thereto and which is adapted to extend within a cylindrical opening 40 formed within made hinge strap 26. As best seen in FIGURES 1 and 4, door 20 is adapted to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction whereby edge 32 of the door is rotated within the body door opening 16.

A flange portion 42 is formed on the male hinge strap member 26 at the upper end of the junction between legs 28 and 44. A pin member 46 is fixed within an opening 48 formed in flange 42.

A bracket 50 is formed on female hinge strap 36. A pin 52 is fixedly supported on bracket 50 proximate edge 32 of door 20 and is adapted to pivotally support a lever 54 thereon. Lever 54 is adapted to extend between male hinge pin 46 and female hinge strap 36 such that the end 2,990,569 Patented July '4, 1961 "ice portion 56 of the lever may extend slightly past leg 28 of the male hinge strap.

End portion 56 of lever 54 includes an arcu-ate surface 60 adapted to engage pin 46 when the door is in the closed position as shown in FIGURE 1. It is important to note that arcuate surface 60 of lever 54 is concentrically disposed with respect to binge pin 38 which is the axis of hinge rotation.

Bosses 62 and 64 are respectively formed on end portion 56 of lever 54 and on female hinge strap 36 to support a compression spring member 66 therebetween'. Spring 66 maintains lever 54 in engagement with pin 46 at all times. Lever 54 includes a projection 68 formed thereon inter-mediate end portion 56 and pivotal support pin 52. Projection 68 forms a notch 70 adapted to engage With pin 46, as seen in FIGURE 4, and retain the door in a hold-open position.

As door 20 moves from its closed to open position, surface 60 of lever 54 will slide relative to pin 46 as the lever is rota-ted about a radius extending from the hinge axis of pin 38 and terminating at surface 60 of lever 54. Thus the initial opening movement of door 20 occurs without imparting any rotation to the hold-open lever 54 due to the concentricity of surface 60 with the hinge axis. The continued opening movement of door 20 will bring lever projection 68 into engagement with pin 46 camming the lever in a counterclockwise direction about pin 52 against the force of compression spring 66 until such time as lever notch 70 is brought into engagement with pin 46. Under these conditions, door 20 is held resiliently in its open position. To close door 20, a sufiicient closing force must be applied to cam lever notch 70 out of engagement with pin 46 after which the door may freely close.

One of the most important features of the present invention is the construction and placement of the holdopen lever 54 and its coaction with hold-open pin 46 such that very little pivoting movement of the hold-open lever is necessary. The amount of pivoting movement of lever 54 relative to its supporting hinge 36 is in the nature of 15 to 20. This limited angular movement of the holdopen lever is important in that it permits the hold-open device to be contained in a very limited space and in this way not to interfere with the disposition of the door hinge structure. In addition, the construction and disposition of hold-open lever 54 as mounted on door 20 is such that its outer end 56 projects past the body supported hinge strap 26 a very limited extent even when the door is in its full open position. This is :a considerable improvement over similar hold-open devices such as shown in Patent 2,722,035 Johnson in which substantially the entire holdopen lever projects through the door supporting hinge when the door is closed and thus necessitates that an appropriate opening be formed in the vehicle body to receive the lever.

I claim:

1. A hinge and hold-open assembly including a first hinge strap fixed to a body, a second hinge strap fixed to a door and articulated to said first hinge strap about a hinge axis, a fixed pivot pin mounted on said door mounted hinge strap adjacent the outer edge of said door, a lever pivotally supported upon said pin, a hold-open pin mounted on the body supported hinge strap, the free end of said lever extending between the hold-open pin and the door mounted hinge strap, said first and second hinge straps defining a space which said lever is substantially disposed under all operating conditions, and a compression spring member disposed between the door mounted hinge strap and said lever to bias the latter into continuous engagement with said hold-open pin, the end portion of said lever including an arcuate surface engaging said hold-open pin and which surface is concentrically mediate said surface and the .fixed pivot pin, said projec-v tion being adapted to cam said lever about the fixed pivot pin against the force of said spring to bring the notch into engagement with the hold-open pin to releasably retain the door in its open position.

2. A hinge and hold-open assembly as set forth in claim 1 in which the body supportedhinge strap has a leg projecting within said hinge space, said leg including an opening formed at one end thereof, the door mounted hinge strap including a pin fixed thereto and extending Within the leg opening, the axis of said last mentioned pin constituting the hinge axis.

3. A hinge and hold-open assembly as set forth in claim 2 in which said lever extends between the hinge axis and the hold-open pin.

4. A hinge and hold-open assembly as set forth in claim 1 in which bosses are formed respectively on the door mounted hinge strap and said lever, said bosses being spaced and adapted to support the compression spring member therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

